I have normally kept just one edition of Wrecks and Relics, and that could be several years out of date. Recently, I thought I would obtain a selection of editions to gain a broader view of things over time.
Off I went to the Amazon website. I fulfilled my objective as there was a reasonable selection of editions available from various sellers and at cheap prices. A feature of amazon is the variability of price between sellers. The cheapest edition I saw was £0.01 (plus £2.80 p&p). This is not uncommon. I have purchased various technical books on amazon at a nominal £0.01. Presumably the books are seen by the sellers as “obscure books” that “nobody wants” and they are happy just to make a bit on the p&p if they can shift it at a low price. The dearest price was over £100, that was an example of a seller trying it on so be careful.
My newly acquired copy of the 19th edition (the one with the Lancaster on the front) was an ex-library book from Lincolnshire. This was interesting because while at my local library they would be lucky if this type of book was borrowed even once a year, this one from Lincolnshire was borrowed at least 36 times over the 6 years it was available on loan (the date stamps were still in the book). There seems to be an above average interest in aviation over there!
By: Delta Golf - 28th August 2012 at 16:00
I always use http://www.bookfinder.com when researching book prices. The search engine includes both Amazon (new & marketplace) as well as Abebooks
Cheers
Dave
By: DaveF68 - 28th August 2012 at 14:23
If I recall correctly, many second level sellers use software to calculate a price that takes ito account previous selling price and availability. Hence some nutty prices.
Another source is Abebooks
which searches through lots of independant 2nd hand book sellers.
By: HP111 - 28th August 2012 at 12:02
But surely it depends on which editions of W&R were being offered for sale on Amazon. I can understand relatively recent, but not the current, editions having limited commercial value, and thus being offered for sale at a nominal price, but I doubt that the same applies to early editions, for certain of these seem to be as rare as hens’ teeth, rarely to come onto the market and, if and when they do, to attract much interest and thereby command high prices. Which were the editions being offered for sale at £0.01 and £100 respectively?
The earlier the edition it seems the less likely it is to be available on amazon, although some “not currently available” entries indicate early editions have been available in the past. Copies of the same edition had the extremes of price I quoted, the one with the F-105 on the front. My main point was that sellers often don’t seem to have a grasp on the value to buyers of technical books, or the likelihood of a sale, and consequently prices can vary widely. A difference can also arise between new and secondhand copies, but if you are not a collector you are probably not much interested in new copies for their own sake.
You are correct in your implication that “both cheap and available” applies to the middle ground of the age range rather than recent (newest 2 editions) or old (pre 7th edition or thereabouts).
By: Bruce - 28th August 2012 at 11:52
Its common practice for dealers to advertise books (and other things) at silly high prices, hoping to pick up the people who dont look further than the first link. I’m constantly amazed that people dont shop around!
Bruce
By: avion ancien - 28th August 2012 at 11:06
But surely it depends on which editions of W&R were being offered for sale on Amazon. I can understand relatively recent, but not the current, editions having limited commercial value, and thus being offered for sale at a nominal price, but I doubt that the same applies to early editions, for certain of these seem to be as rare as hens’ teeth, rarely to come onto the market and, if and when they do, to attract much interest and thereby command high prices. Which were the editions being offered for sale at £0.01 and £100 respectively?
Sign In
August 28, 2012 at 9:53 am